Camper to seek redress

Following the decision by the Volvo Ocean Race's International Jury to dismiss the protest against Telefonica for carrying an extra sail on leg four, so Camper is seeking redress for the decision.

The team believes that Telefonica gained an unfair advantage from carrying the extra sail on board on Leg 4 in which Telefonica finished less than two minutes ahead of Camper. The potential redress options available to the jury are open but would most likely include awarding of extra points and or placing Camper ahead of Telefonica on the leaderboard for Leg 4.

Camper skipper Chris Nicholson says that seeking redress was necessary to ensure a fair result. “We were very disappointed and surprised that the jury took this action. It seems unfair to us that we lost Leg 4 by under two minutes to a boat that was breaking the rules and carrying an extra sail than us. It’s the equivalent of a golfer carrying an extra club in their bag.

“The reality is that Telefonica were given a flawed rule interpretation by the Organising Authority, that was not communicated to other teams as required by the rules and were therefore able to sail with an unfair advantage during the leg.

“This is no dark art. There is hard evidence that the type of extra sail that Telefonica carried would have given them a performance advantage. That performance advantage could very easily equate to the 1m 33s margin that Telefonica beat us by into Auckland.

“The system has broken down and we are left with no choice but to pursue redress. I think it’s clear and obvious what actions the jury needs to take to ensure a fair result in Leg 4.

“We have nothing to hide and will be putting our case robustly to the jury.”

The international jury was due to hear Camper's submission for redress yesterday.